(I've been looking for the Blame Thrower scene from Mystery Men, but crapped out. Anyone finds it, email me.)
Can we please, please, stop the post-election fingerpointing? Haven't we given the Dark Side enough to chortle over? With every bitter blog post, every recriminating tweet, they're just signalling the waiter for another round and exchanging high fives.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Harper as Nixon?
I've seen the comparison floating around out there on the intertoobz for some time now.
For those not familiar with the era in question, Rick Perlstein's seminal book Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America sets out how Republican Richard Milhous Nixon and his brain trust used divisiveness, demonization and dog whistles to capture the White House in 1968. The resulting tribalisms, resentments and cleavages in the American body politic are still resonating today.
For those not familiar with the era in question, Rick Perlstein's seminal book Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America sets out how Republican Richard Milhous Nixon and his brain trust used divisiveness, demonization and dog whistles to capture the White House in 1968. The resulting tribalisms, resentments and cleavages in the American body politic are still resonating today.
Monday, May 2, 2011
The Beijing Model? The Harper Model? Does it matter what we call it?
Capitalism and full-speed-ahead economic growth, fuck the environment and anyone who's not a well-connected insider, and if you have any dissenting thoughts or ideas about any of this, probably best to keep them to yourselves.
The lineup at the polling station this morning
All the way around the gym at the local high school, out the door and round the corner.
Had to wait half an hour to vote. Maybe some of the people there got robo-calls directing them to the wrong place or something.
Tell us again how nobody wanted this election, Steve?
Don't go 'way mad, buddy. Just go away.
Related posts:
Had to wait half an hour to vote. Maybe some of the people there got robo-calls directing them to the wrong place or something.
Tell us again how nobody wanted this election, Steve?
Don't go 'way mad, buddy. Just go away.
Related posts:
- The night before the election: what we can expect
- Election, final week: All right, all right. A small measure of hope
- Poll results, wishful thinking and realism
Sunday, May 1, 2011
The night before the election: what we can expect
Imagine a government that doesn't operate for the benefit of a handful of CEOs and international investors.
A government that cultivates the best in its citizens, that represents everything good and decent and caring about the nation it serves.
A government that recognizes that as humans, we are all fallible, but that as citizens, we have obligations both to one another and to something bigger than ourselves.
A government that values and preserves all the myriad threads that tie us together, that allow us to pool our efforts and act collectively for the greater good.
A government that safeguards our right to disagree with one another, and with the institutions of government itself.
A government that sees us as intelligent thoughtful adults, and speaks to us, with us, and for us accordingly.
A government that aspires to reflect the better angels of our nature.
In return, all that's asked of us is genuine engagement, thoughtful participation, and a commitment to something beyond ourselves: our neighbours, our communities, our society, our country. Both we and the institutions we build share and reflect certain values: democracy, stewardship, transparency, decency, accountability, citizenship, civic engagement, civil society, fundamental freedoms, civil discourse, and mutual support and respect. This is our character. This is who we are.
This isn't some idealistic fantasy. This is something we have a right to expect.
Tomorrow, let's go out and get it.
A government that cultivates the best in its citizens, that represents everything good and decent and caring about the nation it serves.
A government that recognizes that as humans, we are all fallible, but that as citizens, we have obligations both to one another and to something bigger than ourselves.
A government that values and preserves all the myriad threads that tie us together, that allow us to pool our efforts and act collectively for the greater good.
A government that safeguards our right to disagree with one another, and with the institutions of government itself.
A government that sees us as intelligent thoughtful adults, and speaks to us, with us, and for us accordingly.
A government that aspires to reflect the better angels of our nature.
In return, all that's asked of us is genuine engagement, thoughtful participation, and a commitment to something beyond ourselves: our neighbours, our communities, our society, our country. Both we and the institutions we build share and reflect certain values: democracy, stewardship, transparency, decency, accountability, citizenship, civic engagement, civil society, fundamental freedoms, civil discourse, and mutual support and respect. This is our character. This is who we are.
This isn't some idealistic fantasy. This is something we have a right to expect.
Tomorrow, let's go out and get it.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
A question for @davidakin
Word is, you're supposed to be a respected journalist.
OK then. Hypothetical question for you.
OK then. Hypothetical question for you.
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